Brassieres



Feb. 26, 1963 c. M. sAcl-ls BRASSIERES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, 1960 INVENTOR Charles M. Sachs ATTORNEY c. SACHS 3,078

BRASSIERES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 26, 1963' Filed Feb. 11, 1960 ENTOR Charles M. Sachs ATTORNEY FlG.3.

FIG.6.

3,078,851 BRASSTERES Charles M. Sachs, Dover, Deh, assiguor to international Latex Corporation, Dover, Dela, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. ll, 196i), Ser. No. &16 2 @laims. (Cl. 12$595) This invention is a new and improved brassiere which is designed to prevent the brassiere from moving upward in the back or cutting into the shoulders.

Prior attempts to eliminate riding up of the brassiere as by increasing the tightness or holding power of the back band simply exaggerated shoulder strain, while attempts to relieve shoulder strain only emphasized the riding up characteristic. These traits were considered to be irreconcilable and brassieres heretofore were compromise garments suffering these defects in greater or lesser degree.

The present inventor has found that these antagonistic qualities may be reconciled by a right combination of first, increasing the coefiicient of friction of the inner surface of the back band and second, employing means to mitigate the upward pulling force which is exerted on the back band by the back shoulder straps. By so doing, a brassiere is provided which faithfully follows every movement of the upper torso and substantially eliminates both riding up of the brassiere and cutting into the shoulders.

According to the present invention, the brassiere is made with a back band comprising anchoring means in the body-contacting surface thereof which holds the brassiere in a substantially non-slipping, girthwise position during wear, and shoulder straps which are resiliently responsive to tension connected to said anchoring means, the shoulder straps being stretchable to the same distance to which the back of the wearer stretches during bodily movements, the resilience of the shoulder straps being such that the force needed to stretch them the said distance is greater than the fitting force but less than the force which would cause the back band to slip.

The combination of a back band, the body-contacting surface of which has a high coefiicient of friction to hold the brassiere in a substantially non-slipping, girthwise position, and elastic means in the shoulder strap arrangement which, upon extension by bodily movements, applies forces to the back band which are below the force which will cause the back band to ride up during wear, provides a brassicre which does not slip upwardly and does not cut into the flesh of the shoulders.

The anchoring means of the back band has a bodycontacting surface with at least one area having a relatively high coefficient of friction as compared to the skin so that it grips the body without slipping. The anchor ing means may be slip-resistant fabric formed from woven elastic material in which bare, rubber-like threads protrude from the plane of the fabric in asinuous manner and arranged in a horizontal direction. A suitable fabric is one comprising substantially non-stretchable warp thread and covered and bare elastic weft threads with exposed portions of the bare elastic weft thread raised on one side of the fabric to provide friction surfaces. The anchoring means further serve as a fixed base from which the shoulder straps move in a resilient manner in response to tensions placed upon them.

If the straps comprise a resilient material which is so easily stretchable that the brassiere, when fitted, cannot support the Weight of the breasts, the shoulder straps will not function well and the breasts will sag. The shoulder straps must therefore be constructed of resilient material such that the brassiere is able to support the weight of the breasts without causing the resilient members to stretch to their limit. The tension, or force, placed on the brassiere in fitting will, of course, vary according to the size of the breasts and the build of the .body, etc., but whatever this fitting force may be, the

resilient members of the shoulder straps must withstand such force without transmitting to the back band a force which would exceed the holding power of the back band. When thus understood, the present invention may be practiced quite simply and in a variety of forms. Brassieres shown in the drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention, it being understood that such embodiments are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, in which drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front View of a brassiere showing the shoulder straps which are resiliently responsive to tension;

FIGURE 2 is a rear view of the brassiere of FIGURE 1 showing the anchoring means in the back band in relation to the shoulder straps;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the anchoring means shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 showing the anchoring means;

FIGURE 5 is a rear view of a different embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view of the back band and the resilient member of FIGURE 5.

In FIGURE 1, the breast molding and supporting cups 11 are attached at their inner edges to strips of fabric .12, the inner edges of which strips of fabric come to a median seam 13. Elastic front bands 14 begin at the bottom of the median seam 13 and are attached at their upper edges to the bottom of the strips 12 and to the bottom of the breast cups 11, as by stitching 15. The outer edges of the breast cups 1'1 and the outer edges of the elastic front bands 14 are joined to right and left back bands or panels 16 at seam lines U. The back bands 16 are attached at their rear ends to elastic sections 17 at seam lines 32. Elastic sections 17 are attached at their rear ends to fabric sections 18 carrying cooperating fastening elements. In the form shown, these fastener elements are hooks 2t) and rows of eyes 21 and 22. The elastic front bands 14, the back bands 16, the elastic sections 17 and the fabric sections 18 may be considered as the body-encircling band. The tops of the breast cups 11 have loops of material 23 to which shoulder straps 24 of unstretchable material are attached by means of slidable buckles 25. The rear ends of the shoulder straps 42 are joined to the front ends of elastic tapes 26 as by a double line of stitching 27. The shoulder straps are thus formed principally of unstretchable tapes with minor portions in the rear formed of a resilient member. The shoulder straps are resiliently responsive to tension by virtue of the resilient members 25, the rear ends of which are joined to the tops of the back bands 16 by stitching 28. The body-contacting surface of back bands 16, see FIGURE 2, have anchoring means 30' in the form of a slip-resistant woven fabric such as elastic batiste which has woven into it bare rubber threads 34 running in a horizontal direction; see FIG- URES 2 and 3. These exposed rubber threads 34 have a high surface friction characteristic which grip the body of the wearer and extend above the plane of the fabric 35. The anchoring means 30 are attached to the back bands 16 along their common bottom edge by a line of stitching 31; along their front edges to the seam lines 19; and along their rear edges to scam lines 32; the top edges 33 remaining free. Anchoring means 39 are tins connected on three sides by stitching at seam lines 19, 31, and 32 to the back bands 16. Shoulder straps 2.4 are resiliently connected by the elastic tape components 26 to the anchoring means 38 through the intervening back bands 16. The breast cups 11 may have decorative stitching thereon of any desired form. An advantage in the above method of attaching the anchoring means 36 on three sides only is that the shrinkage of the batiste after washing will occur without affecting the appearance of the rest of the brassiere. The batiste, not being preshrunk, will shrink to a greater extent than the preshrunk fabrics customarily used in brassieres, but being free along one edge, as edge 33, it will shrink without causing any change in the smooth appearance of the rest of the brassiere. The incorporation of the anchoring means in the back band, however, may be made in any desired manner, as by stitching along all four sides, etc., or the entire back band itself may comprise bodyanchoring means. FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of the anchoring means used in the back band and shows exposed bare rubber threads 34 woven into the textile fabric 35. FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the protuberance of the exposed bare rubber threads above the plane of the fabric. It is noted that the other side of the fabric is smooth and relatively non-frictional,

over which other garments can freely move in sliding engagement.

FIGURES 1 and 2 thus depict a brassiere having a back band, the body-contacting surface of which comprises bare rubber threads which holds the brassiere in a non-slipping, girthwise position and shoulder straps connected to said back band, the said shoulder straps being formed principally of unstretchable tapes with portions of the backs thereof formed of resilient members, the said straps being stretchable to the same distance to which the back of the wearer stretches during bodily movements, the resilient members being of such characteristic that the force needed to stretch the said straps the said distance is greater than the fitting force but less than the force which would make the back band slip.

For a brassiere to be non-slipping according to this invention, the threshold slippage force, that is the force which will cause the back band to slip vertically, must be greater than the force which will stretch the elastic tape the same distance the body stretches, which force in turn must be greater than the force placed on the back shoulder strap when the brassiere is fitted. The tension placed on the back strap when the brassiere is fitted is that tension which is necessary to make the brassiere fit properly and is directly related to the tension placed on the brassiere by the weight of the breasts. This may be referred to as the fitting force. The resilient element 26 is so selected or designed as to have the right force-elongation characteristic. This characteristic is that when subjected to the fitting force and then elongated to the same distance the back stretches, minus the distance which the skin under the back band moves, the force which the resilient element transmits to the back band is less than the force which would cause the back band to slip. Stated somewhat differently, the resilient shoulder straps have elongation characteristics such that a force between their fitting force and the threshold of slippage of the back band will elongate the shoulder straps the same distance the back of the wearer stretches.

It is to be appreciated that the holding power of the back band, or the force needed to make it slip, may vary considerably, according to the nature and construction of the anchoring means utilized in the back band. Elastic bare rubber batiste made by Ansonia- Mills and known as #514 is an example of a material which may be suitably used as the anchoring means in the back band. This material has a modulus of approximately 2.47 lbs. at 60% elongation when tested according to ASTM D 1377- T. It is recognized that in many body shapes, the lower the brassiere is fitted from the shoulder blades, the more comfortable the brassiere will be. Ordinarily brassieres, however, do not remain in such position because they do not have the ability to resist the upward pull of the shoulders and the comfortable fit is soon lost. The brassiere of this invention, however, does have this ability and hence may be fitted and maintained in a lower position than ordinary brassieres.

It is to be further appreciated that the shoulder straps may be made resiliently responsive to tension in a variety of ways. For example, the brassiere of this invention may be made with a shoulder strap arrangement com prising shoulder straps of inelastic material attached to a resilient member, which resilient member overlies, and is connected to, the said back band.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate rear views of such embodiment of this invention. Breast cups 51 are joined to side panels 52 at edges 53 by means of stitching. Front panel 54 is connected to the breast cups at their lower edges and is also connected by stitching to side panels 52 at the bottom part of edges 53. Side panels 52 are attached to back bands 55 along their common edges 57, and the back bands 55 are attached at their rear ends to cloth panels 59 at their common edges 53. Resilient members 56 overlie the back bands 55 and are attached to side panels 5?. and cloth panels 59 by stitching at their common edges 57 and 53 respectively. The resilient members 56 are free of attachment to the back bands 55 except at their common edges 57 and 58. These resilient members may be formed of elastic fabric such as leno or elastic batiste. Shoulder straps 69 of inelastic material are joined to the top edges of the resilient members 56 and by slidable buckles 62 through loops 66 to the tops of the breast cups 51. Cloth panels 59 carry mutually engageable fasteners such as books 63 and rows of eyes 64 for holding the garment in a girthwise position. The body-contacting surfaces 65 of back band 55 act as anchoring means and may comprise an elastic fabric, such as bare rubber batiste or bare rubber leno, having exposed rubber threads. Upward pulls applied to the inelastic shoulder straps are transmitted to the resilient members 56 which stretch and move upwardly, sliding over the outside surfaces of back bands 55. The principles enunciated above apply here also, in that the resilient elements 56 stretch to allow the shoulder straps to move up the same distance as the body stretches without transmitting to the anchoring back bands 55 a force which would cause them to slip.

I claim:

1. A brassiere having a body-encircling band including right and left fabric back panels, the surface of each said panel on the body-contacting side having at least one area of bare, rubber-like threads protruding from the surface of the panel in a sinuous manner and arranged in a horizontal direction for holding the brassiere in a substantially non-slipping, girthwise position during wear, the other surface of each panel having a relatively smooth surface over which other garments Worn by the wearer can slide freely, two shoulder straps each having an elastic section in the back portion thereof, each strap being attached at one of its ends to one said back panel, said area of bare, rubber-dike threads serving as a fixed base from which each shoulder strap elongates as said elastic section stretches, the straps being stretchable to the same 5 6 distance as the back of the wearer stretches during bodily References Cited in the file of this patent movement whereby the said back panels and the elastic UNITED STATES PATENTS sections in the shoulder straps cooperate with each other 2 045 871 Pilot June 30 1936 to substantially eliminate both riding up of the brassiere 2638130 May 1953 and cutting into the shoulders while maintaining a high 5 2:646:828 Hesse July 1953 degree of uplift of the bust- 2,888,930 Coleman et a1. June 2, 1959 2. A brassiere according to claim 1 wherein the said 2,940,454 Fawn J 14, 1960 area extends along the bottom portion of each back pan l. 2,933,037 Krieger Jun 13, 951 3,009,464 Owen ct a1. Nov. 21, 1961 

1. A BRASSIERE HAVING A BODY-ENCIRCLING BAND INCLUDING RIGHT AND LEFT FABRIC BACK PANELS, THE SURFACE OF EACH SAID PANEL ON THE BODY-CONTACTING SIDE HAVING AT LEAST ONE AREA OF BARE, RUBBER-LIKE THREADS PROTRUDING FROM THE SURFACE OF THE PANEL IN A SINUOUS MANNER AND ARRANGED IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION FOR HOLDING THE BRASSIERE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-SLIPPING, GIRTHWISE POSITION DURING WEAR, THE OTHER SURFACE OF EACH PANEL HAVING A RELATIVELY SMOOTH SURFACE OVER WHICH OTHER GARMENTS WORN BY THE WEARER CAN SLIDE FREELY, TWO SHOULDER STRAPS EACH HAVING AN ELASTIC SECTION IN THE BACK PORTION THEREOF, EACH STRAP BEING ATTACHED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS TO ONE SAID BACK PANEL, SAID AREA OF BARE, RUBBER-LIKE THREADS SERVING AS A FIXED BASE FROM WHICH EACH SHOULDER STRAP ELONGATES AS SAID ELASTIC SECTION STRETCHES, THE STRAPS BEING STRETCHABLE TO THE SAME DISTANCE AS THE BACK OF THE WEARER STRETCHES DURING BODILY MOVEMENT WHEREBY THE SAID BACK PANELS AND THE ELASTIC SECTIONS IN THE SHOULDER STRAPS COOPERATE WITH EACH OTHER TO SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATE BOTH RIDING UP OF THE BRASSIERE AND CUTTING INTO THE SHOULDERS WHILE MAINTAINING A HIGH DEGREE OF UPLIFT OF THE BUST. 